• July 31, 2012 - 8:52 pm -SENASICA director said the virus was detected in 41 of the 376 farms, so there are 10.5 million birds at risk of infection.
Guadalajara • Some 10.5 million birds in Jalisco are at risk of infection by avian influenza and about 6 million have been culled to stop the spread of the virus, officials said.
The director of the National Health Service, Food Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA), Enrique Sánchez Cruz, said in a news conference that the avian influenza virus has been detected only in 41 of the 376 farms checked in that state, so "farms that are free of the virus are 335".The owner of SENASICA also added other 299 were inspected poultry farms in 15 states and found that the presence of H7N3 virus in any of them.
"Scientific evidence suggests that the disease is contained in the region where it was detected last month," said Sanchez.
He said that even when they started the vaccination stage, farms in the area of risk remain under precautionary quarantine and isolation, in addition to maintaining control of the mobilization to prevent the spread of the virus.
He reported that until Tuesday were delivered 56 million doses of vaccine against bird flu in the Los Altos de Jalisco, adding that before the end of the week will have the 80 million doses scheduled at this early stage.
He explained that until now have been vaccinated 30 million animals from 133 farms breeding birds for egg production and broiler, and is expected to immunize 80 million in the coming weeks.
In mid-August assess the results to start the second application to enhance the protection of birds, he said.
For his part, President of the Union of Poultry Associations of Jalisco, Benjamin Perez de Anda, told Efe that will require a second immunization to ensure complete eradication of the disease.
"We think it will require revaccination in late August" because it is "a new vaccine and an unknown virus, but that will value the health authorities," he said.
Mexican technicians developed the vaccine from the strain found in migratory birds, which was reproduced by three laboratories in Mexico.
Perez de Anda said that egg production has fallen 6% since the emergence of the virus in six weeks ago and Acatic Tepatitlán municipalities, and 2,000 jobs have been affected.
"There are seats to be completely lost, but the workers have reduced their workload," said the businessman, who hoped that the situation is regularized soon.
Perez de Anda found that the slaughter of six million birds represents a loss of up to 15 000 cases a day of egg, but added that this reduction will have no consequences for consumption in the domestic market or for exports.
According to the National Poultry Union, Mexico produces about 2.5 million tons of eggs and 1.2 million tonnes of broiler meat per year.
